The final climb to Polly Shorts: Are political parties prepared to earn their medal?

The Final Climb to Polly Shorts: Political Parties Are Running Out of Road, but Have They Earned the Medal? I remember running the Comrades Marathon, especially the gruelling Up Run towards Pietermaritzburg.

There was something almost spiritual about reaching the top of Polly Shorts, that unforgiving final climb where exhausted legs, a tired mind and sheer determination must somehow find agreement. By then, every muscle would protest, but my heart would start celebrating. Once I conquered that hill, I could almost feel the medal around my neck.

The finish at the stadium was within reach, and despite the pain, something inside me whispered that I had made it.But the medal was not yet mine. I still had to cross the finish line. That memory returned as I watched South Africa's political parties approach the local government elections scheduled for 4 November 2026.

With barely two weeks remaining, I find myself wondering whether our politicians understand the difference between approaching victory and earning it. Some appear confident, others visibly exhausted, while a few are desperately trying to recover ground lost during the race. Some have learnt from previous defeats and returned better prepared.

When the body reveals what preparation concealed

Anyone who has run Comrades knows that fatigue is an unforgiving auditor. During the early kilometres, confidence comes easily. Runners smile, exchange encouragement and maintain impressive rhythms.

But as the distance accumulates, the body begins exposing weaknesses that enthusiasm could previously disguise. Politics operates in much the same way.Recent reports concerning ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula's collapse following an emotionally charged political engagement offer a reminder of the immense pressures associated with political leadership. The ANC attributed the episode to emotional exhaustion.

His health deserves sensitivity, not speculation, and it would be unfair to interpret a medical episode as evidence of political failure. Nevertheless, the broader demands of political campaigning are undeniable.Meanwhile, Johannesburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille has attracted attention through unconventional campaigning, including an appearance involving a spinning car. The spectacle generated conversation, amusement and criticism.

Two contrasting moments, one reflecting the pressures of campaigning and the other the theatre of political visibility. But neither provides an answer to the question that matters most. Can these political leaders, and the institutions behind them, govern? A politician can dominate social media without understanding municipal finances.

A political party can fill a stadium without demonstrating the capacity to maintain a wastewater treatment plant. And a candidate can appear energetic on the campaign trail while representing an organisation whose governing record raises difficult questions.

Political stamina is not the same as governing competence. My coach's warning: Never overtrain before Comrades. My running coach had a simple philosophy. In the final two weeks before Comrades, never attempt to recover months of inadequate preparation through excessive training. By then, the work should already have been done.

The objective was to preserve energy, sharpen concentration and arrive prepared.I wonder whether South Africa's political parties have received similar advice. With election day approaching, should they intensify their campaigns, bombard communities with promises and organise increasingly extravagant rallies?

Or should they recognise that voters have already witnessed years of their performance, opposition or participation in government?

A political party that has neglected infrastructure for five years cannot repair its credibility through five days of campaigning. Equally, an opposition party cannot expect voters to confuse its ability to criticise government with its readiness to govern. If your municipality has struggled to collect revenue, maintain roads, manage contractors or produce credible financial statements, another manifesto will not automatically restore public confidence.

The political equivalent of overtraining is making increasingly ambitious promises when the organisation has neither the institutional capacity nor the financial resources to deliver them.And just as an exhausted runner risks collapsing before the finish, a political party that stretches its credibility beyond reasonable limits risks losing the trust it desperately needs.

Those leading the pack should not celebrate yet.In every Comrades Marathon, spectators become fascinated by the leading runners. Their pace appears controlled, their confidence infectious, and their victory almost inevitable.

But experienced runners know that leading the race is not the same as finishing it. The ANC faces the challenge of defending its record in municipalities where service delivery failures have become part of everyday life.

The DA must demonstrate that its promises of administrative discipline and effective governance can translate into meaningful improvements wherever it seeks power. The EFF, MK Party, IFP, ActionSA, Patriotic Alliance and other contestants must persuade voters that their political ambitions are supported by credible municipal programmes.

No party should mistake public frustration with its opponents for automatic endorsement of itself. There is also a fundamental difference between Comrades and municipal elections. A marathon produces individual finishing positions, while local elections produce hundreds of municipal contests, some of which may result in no outright winner. Coalitions may therefore become unavoidable.

This introduces a fascinating political contradiction: the opponent you spend the final weeks attacking may become the partner you need to form a government. What happens when campaign hostility must suddenly become administrative cooperation?

Will parties prioritise functioning municipalities, or will they spend another five years negotiating positions, distributing influence and defending political territory? The answer will reveal whether they were running towards public service or merely towards political power.The greatest exhaustion is not among politicians.

There is another category of exhausted South Africans who’s suffering rarely receives the same attention as political drama.Consider a mother who wakes up without water, a small business owner who loses customers because of failing infrastructure, or an unemployed graduate who watches another election campaign promise economic opportunity without explaining how it will materialise. Their exhaustion is not measured in kilometres but in years of disappointment.

For these citizens, elections are not sporting events. They are moments of renewed hope, accompanied by the painful memory of promises that previously went unfulfilled.

In Comrades, spectators encourage exhausted runners to continue. They offer water, applause and sometimes the psychological strength required to conquer another hill. But in our democracy, citizens should not be expected to sustain political parties indefinitely through patience, loyalty and forgiveness. Political parties must sustain citizens through effective governance.

The tragedy of South African politics is that politicians celebrate reaching the finish line while communities are still waiting for the race for a better life to begin. What should parties do in the final kilometres?

If I were coaching our political parties through these remaining days, my advice would be simple: stop trying to impress voters and start demonstrating that you understand their problems. Instead of another rally dominated by slogans, explain how you intend to restore municipal infrastructure, improve revenue collection, strengthen financial accountability and create conditions that attract investment.

Tell residents what you can realistically achieve within the first hundred days, what will take longer, and how they will measure progress. Explain who will be accountable when promises are not fulfilled. For parties likely to enter coalitions, tell voters which governance principles are non-negotiable and how disagreements will be managed without paralysing service delivery. And stop treating public entertainment as a substitute for public accountability.

There is nothing inherently wrong with political leaders enjoying themselves, engaging creatively with communities or displaying confidence. Even Comrades runners occasionally smile, dance, and acknowledge spectators despite their exhaustion. But those moments never replace the discipline required to finish.

A political campaign should leave voters better informed, not merely more entertained. The medal is not the destination. When I reached the top of Polly Shorts, my heart knew that the finish was approaching. But my legs still had work to do. Until I crossed that line, the medal remained a possibility rather than an achievement.

South Africa's political parties should remember this distinction. On 4 November, some will celebrate, others will confront defeat, and many will begin the difficult business of coalition negotiations. Yet unlike Comrades, the democratic race does not end when the results are announced.

That is when the real test begins. The true medal is not a mayoral chain, a council seat or control of a municipal budget. It is a community with reliable water, functioning infrastructure, cleaner streets, economic opportunities and renewed confidence in public institutions. And perhaps this is the uncomfortable truth our politicians must confront.

They may be approaching the top of Polly Shorts, but South Africans are not standing at the finish line waiting to applaud them. They are standing there holding five years of unanswered promises.

The question is no longer simply who has enough energy to win. It is who has done enough preparation to deserve victory and who possesses the integrity, competence and endurance to govern after the celebrations have ended.

Because in politics, unlike Comrades, the most important race begins after the medal has been awarded. And this time, South Africans should refuse to award a medal for promises when what they desperately need is performance.

Qwesha (MBA) is a governance, risk and business professional, an author and public commentator.